CJE 4012 EXAM 2 NOTES
Ch 6 arson and psychological profiling
• Arson – willful and malicious burning of
property o three components:
Burning of property
Incendiary in origin
Malice involved
• Form and types of arson o organized crime o
insurance/housing fraud o commercial o
residential o psychological
• Arson statistics o see fbi data o see portrait
of an arsonist
O see attributes of serial arsonist
• The arsonist o prior arrest history o location
– 21% lived within blocks and 30% within ½ to
1 mile o motivation – 41% for revenge & 30%
for excitement o note: see dsm information
• Attributes of serial arsonists o menial laborer
o single o male
o Raised by both parents o never married o high school
or less education o previous criminal justice
history/previous arrests for arson o mental disorders
present (eg substance abuse; suicidal ideation)
o Turns self in/confesses or arrested through
investigation o guilty plea o set fires after work hours
o fire set within 2 miles from home o walk to scene
o Live with parents, alone, or in institution o live in
single-family home or apartment o random selection
of site o open entry o use matches/lighter
o Leaves matcher or gas can at scene as well as other
items
• Typologies of firesetters based on motive o
vandalism o excitement o jealousy/revenge
motivation o crime concealment o profit o
would-be-hero o volunteer fireman/fire buf
,• Profile of typical pyromaniac o young age o
male o white
o Iq (range)
o Physical defect present o bedwetting o mental disorders-psychopathy o
obsessive-compulsive disorder o poor education adjustment o harsh and
inconsistent parental discipline o social class (range)
o Socially maladjusted (relationships, sexual interactions)
o Unskilled laborers o feels inadequate
o Introverted o lonely o low self-esteem o defensive o contempt for authority o
crave power and prestige o delinquency history o alcohol use o some have been
suicidal o impulsive
• Pyromaniac’s firesetting experience o types of
fires made quickly; disorganized
o Number of fires – many o false alarms set o time of day – night o selection
of target – random o regard for life – no o type of firesetter – solitary
o Emotional state before – tension and anxiety; physical symptoms; irresistible
impulse
o Arrest – some relieved when arrested
o Confession – confess or admit guilt but without remorse
• Types of arsonists o look at chart in lecture
notes online ch6 arson o vandalism,
excitement, revenge, crime concealment,
profit
O shared characteristics: arrest record, single, not sexually motivated lower
education
• Organized vs disorganized o organized
Elaborate incendiary devices
Less physical evidence
Methodological approach o disorganized
Materials on hand
More common accelerants used
More physical evidence left
• Pyromania as mental illness o pyromania is an
impulse-control disorder not elsewhere
classified
Deliberate and purposeful fire setting on more than one occasion
Tension or afective arousal before act
, Fascination with and attraction to fire
Pleasure, gratification, or relief when setting fires
Classified in the dsm 5 (2013) under the disruptive, impulse-control, and
conduct disorders section
Done for pleasure, interest relief, or other like type motivating factors
Also rule out other mental disorders
Usually see comorbidity (other mental disorders are present) more
than 40% perpetrators are under 18
Chapter 7 profiling serial murders
• Profiling serial murders
• How many victims and perpetrators?
O holmes and homes estimate 100 serial murderers active in the us
o there is much debate over the number of active serial killers o
typology of serial murderers
• Serial murder myths (fox & levin, 2003)
There is an epidemic (multiple problems identifying incidence)
Serial killers are unusual in appearance and lifestyle
o o
Ch 6 arson and psychological profiling
• Arson – willful and malicious burning of
property o three components:
Burning of property
Incendiary in origin
Malice involved
• Form and types of arson o organized crime o
insurance/housing fraud o commercial o
residential o psychological
• Arson statistics o see fbi data o see portrait
of an arsonist
O see attributes of serial arsonist
• The arsonist o prior arrest history o location
– 21% lived within blocks and 30% within ½ to
1 mile o motivation – 41% for revenge & 30%
for excitement o note: see dsm information
• Attributes of serial arsonists o menial laborer
o single o male
o Raised by both parents o never married o high school
or less education o previous criminal justice
history/previous arrests for arson o mental disorders
present (eg substance abuse; suicidal ideation)
o Turns self in/confesses or arrested through
investigation o guilty plea o set fires after work hours
o fire set within 2 miles from home o walk to scene
o Live with parents, alone, or in institution o live in
single-family home or apartment o random selection
of site o open entry o use matches/lighter
o Leaves matcher or gas can at scene as well as other
items
• Typologies of firesetters based on motive o
vandalism o excitement o jealousy/revenge
motivation o crime concealment o profit o
would-be-hero o volunteer fireman/fire buf
,• Profile of typical pyromaniac o young age o
male o white
o Iq (range)
o Physical defect present o bedwetting o mental disorders-psychopathy o
obsessive-compulsive disorder o poor education adjustment o harsh and
inconsistent parental discipline o social class (range)
o Socially maladjusted (relationships, sexual interactions)
o Unskilled laborers o feels inadequate
o Introverted o lonely o low self-esteem o defensive o contempt for authority o
crave power and prestige o delinquency history o alcohol use o some have been
suicidal o impulsive
• Pyromaniac’s firesetting experience o types of
fires made quickly; disorganized
o Number of fires – many o false alarms set o time of day – night o selection
of target – random o regard for life – no o type of firesetter – solitary
o Emotional state before – tension and anxiety; physical symptoms; irresistible
impulse
o Arrest – some relieved when arrested
o Confession – confess or admit guilt but without remorse
• Types of arsonists o look at chart in lecture
notes online ch6 arson o vandalism,
excitement, revenge, crime concealment,
profit
O shared characteristics: arrest record, single, not sexually motivated lower
education
• Organized vs disorganized o organized
Elaborate incendiary devices
Less physical evidence
Methodological approach o disorganized
Materials on hand
More common accelerants used
More physical evidence left
• Pyromania as mental illness o pyromania is an
impulse-control disorder not elsewhere
classified
Deliberate and purposeful fire setting on more than one occasion
Tension or afective arousal before act
, Fascination with and attraction to fire
Pleasure, gratification, or relief when setting fires
Classified in the dsm 5 (2013) under the disruptive, impulse-control, and
conduct disorders section
Done for pleasure, interest relief, or other like type motivating factors
Also rule out other mental disorders
Usually see comorbidity (other mental disorders are present) more
than 40% perpetrators are under 18
Chapter 7 profiling serial murders
• Profiling serial murders
• How many victims and perpetrators?
O holmes and homes estimate 100 serial murderers active in the us
o there is much debate over the number of active serial killers o
typology of serial murderers
• Serial murder myths (fox & levin, 2003)
There is an epidemic (multiple problems identifying incidence)
Serial killers are unusual in appearance and lifestyle
o o
